Time In Between
by BarnCat23
Summary: This is what happened in between Written in Stars and Drops of Jupiter (Book 1 and 2). Book 1.5 in the "Twisted Fate" trilogy. Mini Book.
1. Chapter 1

***March 12, 2032***

Lila sat in the grass next to the driveway of her old house and watched Abigail toddle around a few feet away. She had just turned four that year. She had ginger-blonde hair and bright blue eyes. Lila didn't realize how hard it would be to leave Abigail—even though she'd be with family—it was still hard. She would be gone for at least a month, if not more, for a temporary job at the Sydney Shatterdome. And Raleigh was tying loosed ends in Hong Kong, so Abigail would be with alternating relatives until one of them could come home.

A black truck pulled into their drive and Lila stood. The truck parked by the garage and out stepped Chuck. He'd agreed to be on the baby sitting roster earlier in the week after hours of convincing. He wasn't currently piloting, Lila had reminded him, and so he had no choice but to say yes. Lila called for Abigail and Abigail ran to her mother. Lila picked her up and walked to Chuck near the house. Abigail smiled upon seeing her uncle, of whom she'd spent time with before.

Lila handed Abigail off to Chuck. "Remember, she's allergic to peanuts and her bed time is seven-thirty" Lila reminded.

"Ah, don't worry about it. We're going to be fine, right Abby?" Chuck said, looking at Abigail. She smiled and said, "Yeah!" Chuck looked at Lila with an i-told-you-so look. "See? We're fine. Go. Have a fun trip" he said. She rolled her eyes and said goodbye to Abigail. She grabbed her duffel off the porch and got in her four-door. Abigail and Chuck waved as she left the driveway, then Chuck looked at Abigail, who stared at him intently. "So, what do wanna do, kid?" he asked.

"Do you know where the tin foil is?" she asked, cocking her head to the side.

"Tin foil? What do you need tin foil for?" he asked, as he carried her inside. He put her down just inside the front door and she ran into the living room. She ran to the coffee table and picked up one of her drawings. Chuck knelt next to her and she gave him the drawing. "Pretend" she said. He looked over the drawing and saw why she needed tin foil. The drawing was of an odd shaped robot looking thing that was being attacked by a big green monster in a city. "Oh…so…you want to pretend this?" he asked, pointing to the robot. She nodded quickly and went to the kitchen.

He put the drawing down and followed her. She started opening cupboards that were at her height and rummaging through them. "Look up there! In the tall ones!" she said, half inside a cupboard.

"The tall ones…" he mumbled, shaking his head, starting to help her look. Abigail pulled herself out of a cupboard and pointed out cupboards for Chuck to look through. The next one he looked through held the tin foil. He pulled it out and gave it to her. She smiled and ran out of the kitchen. Chuck could hear her tiny footsteps as she ran up the stairs and into her room. "This kid's crazy" he said.

***Sydney Shatterdome***

Lila was being lead through the Shatterdome by Brent Hartley, the second in command in Sydney. He led her through the hanger—where they were rebuilding Striker Eureka using her mother's advanced designs—then to her room. They stopped at the door to her temporary room when her cell phone rang. He told her when breakfast was and then left her to answer the call. She stepped into her room, shut the door, and then picked up the phone. "Hello?" she asked.

"_You forgot to mention she's crazy_" she rolled her eyes at Chuck's words.

"She's not crazy. She's a child; they play dress up and like to pretend things. What is she doing?" she asked. Just then she heard Abigail making noises in the background and stifled a laugh. "_She somehow wrapped herself in tin foil and is running through the house pretending to shoot things! That's not natural, sis_" he said.

"Not the tin foil again," she said to herself. She sighed. "Look, just go with it, okay? Play with her. Eventually she'll get bored or tired and drop the tin foil, but until then you just have to play with her." she heard more noises then a loud crash followed by a slew of giggles and laughs. "_Raleigh's poisoned her mind with all those bedtime stories_" he said, struggling to keep his hold on Abigail.

"Like I said, just play with her. I have to go. Be careful with her, Chuck, she's sensitive."

"_And the house isn't?_" he sighed. "_Fine_." She hung up the phone and shook her head with a laugh.

***Becket Household***

Chuck let Abigail go and she ran off through the living room. He sighed exhaustively and called after her. Abigail ran back to him and stopped. "Don't you play?" she asked.

"Not usually, no" he answered.

"Why not?" she asked. He knelt in front of her with a sigh. "I'm an adult, and adults don't play. At least not all of us."

"Well, I think you should" she said. She made a stay-put gesture and went to the coffee table. She picked up the tin foil box and started making something. When she was done, she walked back to him and showed him her creation. It was a tin foil helmet, like the one she wore, but bigger. She put it on his head and nodded in her approval. "You are something else" he said, with a smile.

"Thank you" she said, smiling back and propping her fists on her hips.

"Come here, kid" he said, pulling her into a hug. Abigail pulled back and held up her pinky. "Friends?" she asked. He smiled and hooked his pinky with hers. "Friends" he said.

"We have to dress you up! You can be the monster!" she said. He chuckled and she pulled him to the living room.


	2. Chapter 2

***January 14, 2034* **

Abigail paced back and forth in a perfectly straight line in the hospital waiting room. It was nearly two AM but she was still awake. A few hours ago, Lila had gone into labor so they went to the hospital. Abigail was left in the waiting room with Chuck and Isabelle while Raleigh went with Lila. And now Abigail couldn't do anything but pace. She'd prayed for a sibling for years, and now she was finally getting one.

She continued pacing and Isabelle went to her, stopping her pace. "Abby, why don't you get some sleep? It's going to be a while" she said.

"I want to be awake when we can see them" Abigail protested.

"The bags under your eyes mean you need to sleep, honey" Isabelle said.

"I'm going to stay awake" Abigail said, resuming her pace. Isabelle sighed and sat back down in her seat next to Chuck. Chuck just watched Abigail pace with a bored expression. "Will you please get her to sleep? It's two AM and she hasn't slept since we got here at ten" Isabelle said to him.

"Abby," she stopped pacing and turned to her uncle at the sound of her name. "You need to sleep, kid." He patted the seat next to him and she sighed. She walked over and sat next to him. He put his arm around her and she leaned into him. She tried staying awake for five minutes before she gave up and fell asleep. "How do you _do that_?" Isabelle asked Chuck, in astonishment.

"It's a Hansen thing" he shrugged. Just then Herc walked into the waiting. "Sorry I'm late" he said. He sat in the row of seats across from them and looked at Abigail. "How long did stay awake?" he asked.

"Four hours," Isabelle said. "She would have stayed awake longer but Chuck worked his magic and now she's out like a light." She crossed her arms lazily and looked at the hallway that they ushered Lila and Raleigh down. She yawned and put her feet up on the chair next to her, and then leaned on Chuck's shoulder. They waited for another hour before a nurse came to the waiting room. Isabelle and Herc stood but Chuck stayed put as not to wake Abigail. "Did something happen? Is everyone alright?" Isabelle asked.

"Everyone is fine," the nurse assured. "You can come back and see them now." Chuck carefully picked up Abigail so she wouldn't wake up and followed Isabelle, Herc, and the nurse down the hall. They rounded a corner and into a room. Lila was in a hospital bed holding a baby in a blue hat and blanket and Raleigh was sitting beside her when they walked in. Isabelle squealed. "It's a boy?" she asked, sitting on the other side of Lila. Lila nodded happily. "His name's Mathew" Raleigh said.

"He's so cute" Isabelle gushed. Chuck hefted Abigail higher up on his hip and Raleigh chuckled. "When did she fall asleep?" he asked.

"A few minutes ago but, when the girl sleeps, she _really sleeps_" Chuck said.

***Somewhere in the Pacific***

"We're not needed by the humans anymore. We are staying here." Black King and the other advanced Jaegers left the Shatterdome and humanity all together, and settled on an unnamed island in the pacific over two years ago. They had been debating on whether or not to go back since they found the island. "We all know there's another Breach out there," the new recruit, White Rook, said. "The humans will need us yet again."

"The humans took our more cherished friend and ally from us" Rook said, in disgust.

"Orion will be missed for as long as we are online, but the one thing he taught us we are throwing away. His values did not die with him. He stood up for the humans; he loved them until his final moments. Should we not do the same?" Crystal Pawn asked, from where he sat on a large rock. The five of them stared at each other in grid lock, one not budging over the other. Crystal Pawn and White Rook both agreed to fight for the humans. White Knight refused to speak to anyone. Black King and Rook both agreed to stay away from humanity. White Knight was the final vote, and he had sworn his silence months ago.

Rook finally came forward. "Orion's values have not died completely. I agree we must do the same, but not in the way you want. You want to crawl at their feet and suck up to the humans that made you. I want freedom from the leash that's been around my neck. The humans have mindless robots to fight their battles, they do not need us." It was silent again in the group. "All those in favor of going back…show of hands" Crystal Pawn said. He raised his hand followed by White Rook and, surprisingly, White Knight raised his hand along with them.

Rook sighed grudgingly and raised his hand. "Surely I will regret this" he mumbled. They all looked to Black King expectantly. "I will not do this for the sake of the humans…but for Orion's memory among humans _and machines alike_" Black King said, raising his hand.

"After the battle glorious and final bloodshed at castle's gate…" White Knight said.

"At last, the Knight is his commander of people, the Bishop his, and so on" Black King finished. He stood up straight and raised his hand in a salute. The Rooks followed. Then White Knight and Crystal Pawn. "For Orion" Black King said.

"For Orion" they all echoed.


	3. Chapter 3

***January 15, 2038***

Abigail sat on her bed, listening to the sound of the pouring rain through her window. It was her tenth birthday today, but she wasn't happy at all. In fact she was the exact opposite. She hadn't smiled in three days. She kicked off her sneakers and laid down on her stomach, stretching across the bed, looking out the window. She propped her head on her arms crossed in front of her and sighed.  
Three days ago her little brother Mathew passed away. He had been battling cancer since he was officially three and he finally gave up a few days before his fourth birthday, which was two days before Abigail's birthday. The funeral was yesterday.

She didn't move when she heard the door to her bedroom open. She just stared blankly out the window and didn't make a sound. "Hey, kid," her uncle's voice didn't cheer her up, either. She heard the door close and felt him sit on her bed. "You wanna talk about it?" she felt tears coming up in her eyes and put her head in her pillow. "Not really" she said, her voice muffled.

"I think it would help. Maybe make you feel better?" he said.

"I don't want to talk, Uncle Chuck," she said. She sat up and wiped away her stray tears. "I'm fine. _Mom_'s the one that needs to talk, not me."

"You know…my dad once said, '_when you go through the drift you think you don't need to say anything'_. But going through the drift has made me realize there are things that still need to be said, even though you both think it, you still need to talk about it," he put his hand on her shoulder and she looked up into his eyes, tear streaking her face. He wiped them away gently. "I know you're not fine, kid. When you're fine you don't cry. You need to talk about it, don't bottle it up." She fell into him and started sobbing. He held her tightly and gently stroked her hair.  
"You can always count on me, kid. 'Cause I'll be by your side wherever you fall, in the dead of night, whenever you're calling…I'll be there" he said.

"I love you, Uncle Chuck" she said, her voice shaky and muffled. He kissed the top of her head and said, "I love you too, kid."

***Chuck's Apartment***

Isabelle was on the phone with Raleigh, discussing what to do about Lila. She sat on the couch and sighed. "I don't know, Raleigh…I've never lost a child so I don't know what she's feeling. You just have to be there for her. That's the best I got" she said.

"Thank you, Isabelle…I've just never seen her like this. I knew she'd have to go through the grieve process just like I do, but avoiding any contact with her family? If you'd seen how Abigail reacted to Lila's depression you'd be mortified" Raleigh said, in her ear.

"Chuck went over there a while ago to try and talk to her. I heard it was bad" she said.

"It is. She won't talk to me; she just keeps telling me to go talk to Lila instead." Isabelle nodded in understanding. "Terra did the same thing after our mother died. My brother Trevor tried to talk to her and she would redirect him to me. She's playing the tough girl" she said.

"Do you think Chuck can crack her shell?"

"Like a nutcracker," she said. "I don't know what he does but it shouldn't take long." Just then, Isabelle heard the front door open. "I have to go. Just be there when they need you" she said.

"Thanks again" he said. She hung up just as Chuck walked through the door. She swiveled around to see him and raised her eyebrows. "How'd it go?" she asked.

"She's a mess" he said, walking to the couch. Isabelle pursed her lips and swiveled back around. "That poor girl" she said, as Chuck sat next to her. She wrapped her arms around his middle and rested her head on his shoulder. "I can't imagine what Lila must be feeling. If I had kids I probably could" she said.

"That can be arranged" Chuck said. Isabelle sat up and looked at him seriously. "Are you being serious or are you joking?" she asked.

"I'm serious if you're serious" he said.

"Really?" she asked, in disbelief.

"We've been together for ten years. I think we're ready for the next step" he said, matter-of-factly. She smiled and kissed him.

***Becket Household* **

Abigail shut the stall door behind her and turned to face the horse that occupied it. It was the Appaloosa mare they'd had as long as she could remember named Winter. She sat on the floor of the stall in the far right hand corner and started picking at the straw. "I don't know why mom won't talk to me anymore," she told the horse. "Uncle Chuck says it's because she misses Mathew." Raleigh listened to her talk to the horse as he quietly stood beside the stall, where she couldn't see him. "Well I miss him, too, Winter, but she won't listen. I don't know what to do…not anymore."


	4. Chapter 4

***August 13, 2041***

Abigail was sitting at the kitchen counter, leaning on her elbows, trying to get her father to say yes to a trip with her Uncle. She'd asked twenty minutes ago, and ever since then he's been stating all the things wrong with the idea. "And not to mention your only thirteen" he concluded.

"Dad, come on, it's Uncle Chuck. I'll be with him the whole time. It's perfectly safe, and when am I ever going to get the chance to see a Jaeger up close again?" she asked. He crossed his arms and sighed heavily. She used her pleading eyes and sweet smile to try and win him over. "Come on, daddy, please? Mom needs time alone anyway, and I need to get out of the house" she said.

"I agree you need to get out but not to a Shatterdome."

"It's just the weekend and then I'll be back!"

"I have an idea. If you can get your mother to say yes, I'm cool with it," he grinned at her disappointment. "Good luck, Princess." He left the kitchen and Abigail slumped in her chair. She heard the front door close and she sighed loudly. She lazily pulled herself from her chair and went down the hallway to her parents' room. She hesitantly knocked a few times on the door and stepped back. The door opened a second later and her mother was standing in the doorway. "What is it, sweetie?" she asked, sounding slightly irritated.

"Dad said I had to get you to say yes to my weekend trip with Uncle Chuck and then I could go. So…can I go?" Abigail asked. Her mother thought about it a minute. "Will you be doing anything dangerous?" she asked.

"No" Abigail assured, shaking her head quickly.

"Alright…then, yes, you can go" she said. She stepped back and closed the door, and then Abigail quietly threw her fist in the air and ran up to her room. She jumped onto her bed and grabbed her cell phone off the bed side table. She texted her dad, saying: Guess what I did

Dad: What did you do?

Me: I got mom to say yes. That exact word, too. And you thought I couldn't. Pfft!

Dad: You are such a teenager…

Me: That's good right?

Dad: Ha. You wish

Me: *Rolls Eyes* I'll see you Monday then!

Dad: See you Monday

She slid her phone in her pocket and started packing clothes into her back pack. She heard the jingling of a dog collar as the door opened slightly. "Come in, Scuttle" she called, over her shoulder. A black and white, hairy dog jumped up onto her bed, wagging its tail at her. He was only a foot tall yet and had just grown into his thick fur. He laid down and watched a she folded up clothes and stuffed them into her back pack.

***Sydney Shatterdome* **

"I'm perfectly aware of the situation, sir" Isabelle said.

"Then why are we still discussing this? There are things to be done around here, and I don't have time to chat about machines" Herc said, walking past her. She rolled her eyes and followed him. "You mean the machines that saved all our asses?" she asked, trailing behind him.

"Miss Kelly I suggest you find something useful to do with your time" he said, over his shoulder. She stopped walking and let him leave the hanger. She resisted the urge to keep pestering him about it and turned on her heels. She'd been working on a complete Jaeger Program restoration plan that, given a few minutes to explain it, would be a perfectly sound plan. But it included switching all the Jaegers from Mk 6 and down out for Jaegers Mk 7 and up. And no one liked that idea, even if they were the ones that closed the second Breach—at the cost of one of their own, no less.

Isabelle went back to her office—a small room next to the lab—and wiped her dry erase board. She put her hands on her hips and stared at the board. "Need any help in here?" she turned and saw Dr. Geiszler in the doorway. "You seem blocked." He gestured to the board and she sighed. "The plan is fool proof, and no one wants to listen to it" she said.

"I wanna listen to it" he said, slightly raising his hand. She chuckled and gestured to a chair. "Then take a seat and don't expect to leave until morning" she joked. He laughed and sat down as she started explaining things on the board.

***Becket Household* **

Abigail hefted on her backpack and headed down the stairs. She left a note on the counter for her mother and went out on the front porch. Chuck's black truck pulled in the drive and stopped by the porch. The driver side window rolled down and Chuck stuck his head out. "Oi! You gonna just stand there or get in?" he called. She smiled and got in the passenger seat, shutting the door behind her. They did a U-turn in the driveway and started off for the Shatterdome.

***Sydney Shatterdome* **

Isabelle was talking to Herc about the plan again when Chuck and Abigail walked into the hanger. They both stopped talking as they notice Abigail with him. He had mentioned it before but they didn't think he was serious about it. Abigail looked around as they stopped, not even noticing the people standing in front of them. "What? I told you about ages ago" Chuck said, to their shocked faces.

"Didn't think you were serious" Herc said, glancing at Abigail.

"Is this really the place for thirteen year old girl?" Isabelle asked.

"I'm supposed to do an essay for my English class," Abigail said, suddenly. "And I chose to do my paper on the Jaeger Program. I told Uncle Chuck that and he offered to help me out."

"So this is for school purposes?" Herc asked her.

"Yep. You can ask my dad if you don't believe me" Abigail replied.

"Alright…I'll allow it. But you better keep her away from the Jaegers" Herc warned, before walking off. Isabelle sighed and rolled her eyes. She made a he's-crazy gesture and followed Herc, pestering him more about her idea. Chuck sighed and put his arm around Abigail's shoulders. "Come on, kid. I'll show you around" he said, leading her further into the Shatterdome.


	5. Chapter 5

***August 14, 2041***

***Sydney Shatterdome***

Abigail and Chuck sat at a table of pilots in the mess hall. Abigail recognized a few of them from the media but there were several she didn't know. "Well, if it isn't Chuck Hansen. Where have you been, mate?" a man Abigail didn't recognize said.

"Watchin' after this little twerp" Chuck said, smiling at Abigail. She playfully hit his arm and chuckled. "So, who is this little lady?"

"Ab-"

"Abigail Becket." Abigail beat Chuck to it. She was a shy girl around anyone she didn't know, but these people were Jaeger pilots, so she spoke up. "Becket, eh?" a woman asked.

"Yes, Becket. B-e-c-k-e-t" Abigail said. A few of the pilots chuckled. "And why are you here, Little Becket?" the woman asked.

"_Abby_ works fine, thank you, and I'm here for a school thing. I'm only here today and tomorrow, so I won't bother you if you're worried about it" Abigail said. More fits of laughter from the pilots came at Abigail's attitude. It wasn't much of an _attitude_, more of staying her ground with the grown-ups. She didn't like it when people called her 'little' or 'baby'. The only child-related names she allowed were 'Princess' from her father, or 'kid' from her uncle. The woman looked at her with a sly smile. "You're going to fit in great here, Abby. Call me Sarah. Sarah Wiley" she said. Abigail gaped. "_Sarah Wiley_? You pilot Thunder Bird with Westley Hugh!" Abigail said, excitedly.

"You know your Jaegers" Sarah said.

"She's crazy about 'em. When she was little she pretended to be one" Chuck said.

"I'll have to show you Thunder Bird later" Sarah said to Abigail.

"Really?" Abigail gasped. "That would be so awesome!"

"I don't know if that's such a good idea" Chuck protested. Abigail gave him a what-for? Look and he gave her a firm shake of the head in response. She sighed and slumped in her chair. "Come on, Hansen, it wouldn't take longer than five minutes to show her" Sarah said. Abigail, feeling a familiar boil inside, stood from the table and left the mess hall alone. "And that's why I said no" Chuck said, firmly. He stood and went after Abigail.

Abigail had no idea where she was going, but she followed the flow of traffic through the halls until she wondered into the hanger. She climbed the stairs to the balcony that over-looked Striker Eureka, and sat at the edge. She'd been having these little 'break-downs'. She would bottle everything up for a long period of time and then when the bottle was full she'd over flow. This was one of those moments.

She didn't like people seeing her break downs so she would find somewhere quickly and hide, then break down. When she let everything out it was a lot. She was angry, sad, and confused at the same time and she didn't know why she felt those things when she had no reason too.  
She pulled her knees up to her chest and held them there with her arms tightly wrapped around herself. Thin tears streaked her face and she tried to calm down but she couldn't. A line from one of her favorite movie—Frozen—fit this perfectly. And she would recite it to help her calm down and regain her composure. "_Don't let them in, don't let them see, be the good girl you always have to be, conceal, don't feel, don't let them know… don't let them in, don't let them see, be the good girl you always have to be, conceal, don't feel, don't let them know…_" she said, burying her head between her knees. She said it two more times before she was interrupted by another voice. "That's what you tell yourself?"

"Well…it works" she said, resting her chin on her knees.

"But it shouldn't," Chuck said, sitting beside her. "I heard everyone has a mantra to keep calm, but this? This is brain washing." she dropped her legs and crossed them in front of her. "It's what I have to tell myself to make it through a day with my mother's depression. She's not a bad mom, that's not what I'm saying, I just…i just don't know what to do. I don't know why I feel this way or why it happens at the most inopportune time. Well…I sort of do. Apparently I'm 'slightly bipolar' and it 'affects my ability to control emotion'" she said.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Chuck asked.

"Because I didn't want you to treat me differently. That's what everyone does, and I hate it," she said, turning to face him. "I want you to keep calling me 'kid' and embarrassing me so much in public my face looks like a tomato. I thought you wouldn't do those things if you knew." He pulled her into a hug and she didn't fight him on it. "I promise I will always call you 'kid' even when you're forty and do my very best to embarrass you any time we're in public" Chuck said, smiling. Abigail laughed. "That's reassuring" she said, sarcastically.

***Isabelle's Office***

Isabelle sighed grudgingly and wiped her board clean. The taping of Dr. Geiszler's pen was really starting to annoy her. "Will you stop it with the pen?" she asked, glancing over her shoulder.

"Oh, yeah, sorry" he replied, sitting up in his chair. Isabelle starting writing more on her board with a red Sharpie marker, making little squeak noises. "You know…why don't we do the changes to the Hong Kong Shatterdome instead of Sydney?" Isabelle stopped writing and turned to him. "Why there?" she asked.

"Well, think about, in Hong Kong there's already one MBE hanger. It wouldn't take much to implement the changes you've proposed, whereas here it would take a whole lot of man power we don't have" he said, in his I've-figured-it-out voice.

Isabelle once again wiped everything from her board. She started writing again, fiercely. Newton walked up to the board and watched her write. "Mm hm….mm hm…I see…that could work" he said, as she finished with her new idea. She finished and stepped back. He looked it over a few times. "Yeah, totally, this could be the answer to the budget problem and to the lack of Jaegers" he said.

"You think the Marshall will listen?" Isabelle asked.

"I don't see why he wouldn't," Dr. Geiszler shrugged. "And this plan doesn't involve his home turf." Isabelle nodded and left the office.

***The Balcony* **

"When Striker is finished, will you pilot her again?" Abigail asked, staring up at the Jaeger. Chuck hummed, considering it. "I don't know…it depends on if they want me to or not" he said.

"How old to you have to be to pilot?"

"Eighteen."

"So I only have five years…shouldn't be too long, right?" she asked, jokingly. They both laughed. "I need to ask you something" he said.

"Oh?" she said, cocking an eyebrow.

"What do you think about Isabelle?" he asked.

"As in…?" he sighed in exaggeration. "As in Isabelle being more than my girlfriend" he said, like it should have been obvious. Abigail thought a second then grew the largest grin. "I think you should ask her," she said. "I thought you should ask years ago."

"You like her that much, huh?"

"I like _you two_, that much" she said.

"So I should ask her?"

"Duh!"

"Oi! No need to get snappy, here. _How_ _should I ask her_, is the problem. She's been busy with this big idea of hers and I can't get a minute alone with her" he said. Abigail crossed her arms and thought about it. She snapped her fingers and smiled. "Her birthday is coming up, right?" she asked.

"Yeah, it's the eighteenth" he said.

"Then take her out to dinner to celebrate and when she's least expecting it, _pop the question_. That took me all of what? Ten seconds?" she said. "You're getting' slow."

"_Ha. Ha. Ha._"


	6. Chapter 6

***January 21, 2046***

Abigail parked her car by the garage and shouldered her pack. She took a deep breath and got out of the car. She'd been vacationing with a friend for the past week, and over the week—her eighteenth birthday, to be more specific—she enlisted in the Jaeger Program. She had talked about it with her parents before, but she didn't exactly get permission to do it. She used her spare key to get inside and Scuttle rushed to her. She knelt down and scratched her dog before continuing to the living room.

She thought it was empty at first until she noticed both her parents standing in the living room. They looked they had been arguing. Abigail started walking backwards when they noticed she was present and she stopped walking. It was awkwardly silent a moment. "I-I can go and come back later if-"

"No, no, stay," her mother said. "We were just talking about you, actually."

"Oh, really? Why?" Abigail asked, getting nervous about telling them she'd enlisted.

"Well, it was your eighteenth birthday six days ago, and you had mentioned interest in the Jaeger Program" her mother said.

"Ooooh… about that," Abigail said. "Um, I sort of-" Raleigh sighed regrettably and ran a hand over his face. "You didn't" he said, looking at her seriously.

"I did" Abigail said.

"Abigail Hope Becket, what were you thinking?" Lila asked, putting her hands on her hips.

"I was thinking I'm eighteen…" she said.

"When do you leave?" Raleigh asked. Lila turned to him angrily. "You're not allowing this, are you?" she asked.

"She already enlisted. And she's eighteen. What am I supposed to do?" he asked her.

"I leave tomorrow" Abigail said. Lila started listing all the things wrong with this idea. She went on, and on, and on, and on…Abigail finally had heard enough and walked up the stairs to her room. She closed the door and dropped on her bed with an exaggerated sigh. She picked up her cell phone and texted Chuck.

Me: Mom's going to kill me if dad blinks

Chuck: Why?

Me: I enlisted

Chuck: Am I the last person to hear about everything in your life? When do you head out?

Me: Tomorrow

Chuck: Geez. Only one day to calm down your mom. I feel for you, kid

Me: yeah…she's going to kill me for sure, if that's what it takes to keep me home

Chuck: I can pick U up tomorrow if you don't want to drive with her

Me: Thanks. See you at eight

Chuck: See you at eight

Abigail sighed and dropped her phone beside her. She heard the echoes of her mother's rants from downstairs and covered her face with a pillow.


End file.
